DH and I disagree on needing a double buggy

[MsFrog]

Our DS1 will be 2yrs 8mths when DS2 is born. We've got a pram with a buggy board. I'm going to give a sling a go as well, when the baby is small. But I really think we need a double buggy. I can't imagine how I would manage out the house with two of them by myself. I don't think DS1 will be old enough to go any length of time out without a pram without getting tiree, and also I think will just run off and it'll be a nightmare. DH thinks it's a lot of money to spend on something we'll barely use, and we should just 'cope' for a few months and DS1 will be old enough to walk everywhere by then...

Anyone got any experience and input on how they coped with a similar age gap? Is a single pram feasible? Any recommendations for a good double buggy?

I had two DSs with a 20 month gap and had no double buggy. I also had no car, so much of my travel was walking and public transport.

I carried my youngest in a carrier for almost a year. They would take turns with the buggy. When DS1 was walking, DS2 sat in the buggy. When DS1 was in the buggy then I carried DS2.

I don't think that a double buggy would be very easy on public transport and having pushed some of my friend's double buggy a they are heavy.

I guess we just adjusted our amount and pace of travel during those few years. I didn't feel like I was missing out though.

When DS3 came along, the other two were a bit older and walking. So now DS3 uses the buggy and DS1 pushes it 😂.

The only thing better will be when we can ditch the buggy all together.

DS was 2y 2 months when DD was born. I’m glad we didn’t get a double buggy - she hated the pram! She was in a wrap and DS would walk or get in the buggy. It was so much easier than trying to navigate a bigger double buggy around, and it meant that if DD and I were out by ourselves we weren’t having to look for ramps/lifts, and didn’t always have to rely on getting a space for a pram on the bus. She only really went in the buggy once she was 2 herself and we had a 4 mile round trip twice a day take DS to school (he scooted).

Don’t buy anything until you know what you need.

I had a 22 month gap and walked everywhere (no car). I bought a double buggy but DD hated it and insisted on walking. Reins were a necessity. Passed on the buggy to a friend with a similar age gap, she used it more.

I have a 2 yr 1 month gap and used buggy board or sling, i looked at a couple of doubles but they were very heavy and so big folded they would have took up whole boot space so decided not to get 1

I had a 2 y 6 month gap and didn’t see the need for a double buggy. We walked everywhere, I didn’t have a car, so eldest dc wasn’t just used to walking up to a mile to go shopping or a cafe. The problem to me is if your eldest child likes it it’s hard to get them out of it and I had friends who would have a large 3 1/2 year old in a buggy with a 1 yr old and suddenly pushing it up hill was an effort.

Eldest dc was just used to..... not wasn’t

This is a total "depends on your life" question.

Regularly walking long distances with baby means you'll need a buggy. Or if toddler naps in one then get one.

If you're a car person then probably not.

I'd wait and see. You can always amazon one.

Who ever looks after them the most should get to decide. I say that from bitter experience, my husband making that choice and me having to live with the conequences! 2 years almost exactly between mine, I don't drive and walk everywhere, made it so hard with a toddler that couldn't cover the distance I could as easily. Taking the bus was normally out of the question as almost always needed to fold the buggy and doing that whilst single handedly wrangling a baby, a toddler and collapsing a buggy down (occasionally whilst bus was moving as bus driver was impatient) was not normally worth the effort. Sling worked for a while whilst newborn but back problems meant I couldn't continue.

My DD was 2 yrs 7 mo when DS was born. We'd stopped using the buggy for her quite a while before he was born so didn't need a double or a board. She was used to/liked walking lots though so it was never an issue.

That doesn't mean your DS1 would be happy walking though, only you know that.

There's 20 months between my girls and I didn't have a double buggy. They are too big and unwieldy for me, though would be useful for twins I expect.

I either put DD1 in the pushchair and DD2 in a sling, or DD1 in the pram and DD2 walked, or went in the back pack for longer walks, or she walked herself from in time.

With 20 months gap between mine I had a double buggy but an inline one (narrow - Phil&Ted style), so it was never too large for bus/small lanes, etc. Also very versatile in terms of where older/younger child sits etc.

Why not get one second hand? It keeps cost down but gives whoever pushes the pram/takes kids out a better life.

I had (years ago) a Phil and teds tandem (like a bunk bed buggy lol) (I had a 23 month age gap) which was great as it wasn't double width and could also be used as a single. Once baby was big enough to sit up the toddler could hop in and out if the bottom seat when needed. I would definitely say yes to a double simply for the fact that if I took them for a walk after lunch they would both nap at the same time and I could then leave them parked in the hall when I got back. A sling would have been annoying for that. A sling is great for short walks where you want to wear toddler out and play with them. A sling and a buggy is ok but I found it tricky myself, some people love it! I found a sling more useful with my third when the older 2 could walk everywhere and carry a small backpack each.

I’d suggest trying out a buggy board if I can. I had 2 yrs between mins and assumed a buggy board would be the answer. I have never felt such a deep loathing for an inanimate object as I did for that contraption- found it unwieldy, hard to get up and down curbs, caught my toes on in, and gave me chronic back ache. Very quickly bought a double!

Wow, thanks for all the comments and advice everyone! Really helpful to hear other points of view. I've had a quick scan, but will look through properly. I think given the bad weather (due Jan) and DS1's tendancy to run away as quickly as he can, a cheap double buggy is probably a good place to start!

Get on to Facebook marketplace and see what you can get. I spent hundreds on my first buggy (which is still going strong after three children) but £50 on a double Phil and Teds in immaculate condition for a similar age gap. My elder one was an excellent walker but if I had to be somewhere quickly, or it was raining and cold, the ability to have the double made a massive difference. Only used it as a double for a few months.

I had a 2 year 9 month age gap with my first two and just used a buggy board and never considered a double buggy. None of mine have been willing to sit in a buggy anyway from 2. I wouldn’t bother personally with a new one but if you’re wedded to the idea get a second hand one.

If you are going to be the one managing them both out and about majority of the time, and you feel you need a double buggy, then get the double buggy.

I am due DD2 in November when DD1 will be just turning 2. I am buying a second hand double buggy for 200 quid. I want to be able to strap DD1 in on walks and in shops and know she cant be out running around.

We had a 2.3 age gap. Never used a double buggy, just a buggy board. My two year old loved it and much preferred it to the buggy. And it’s nice for the baby because they can look at their sibling in parent facing mode. He used to entertain her a lot. Having said that, if you’re doing the majority of the shlepping the kids around then you get to decide.

Agree with others, if you’re the one handling them while out and about, you get to decide. Dh can think what he likes but unless he’s doing, he can have a penny for them.

The one doing the buggy pushing decides what buggy they get. That's it.

Mine where 19 months apart, so double buggy was a must for the first 6 months at least. After a while we managed with a standard buggy + platform. It worked because the eldest was sensible.

Maybe consider what time of the year it will be when the youngest is born. It's easier in the summer months. In winter the eldest may need protecting from the elements, and for that a double buggy is better than a platform, or a sling (also slings are heavy... and then you have nowhere to put the baby when you sit down! So you can't easily go to the loo, etc.)

Depends how long you have to walk, of course. But consider a buggy can also be a way to "restrain" the eldest (e.g. if you go, say, to the post office, and can't have them running around), give them a chance to have a nap if you're out and about for a long time, etc.

I would like that kinda age gap (c'mon ovaries!) and have thought about it a bit, DD "could" walk to things like the supermarket,nursery and lots of activities because they're close but she might need some help getting but up the hills (12%+ round here). DD is 21 months and doesn't really nap anymore so that's not going to be a problem. Because of the hills I don't want a double, they're a rare sight here so I'd "manage" with a single and sling and buggy board.

If you feel you need a double either swap your pram to a convertible one or buy a temporary double if you really like your current pram

@Kaiserin slings dont need to be heavy, I've got a ring sling thats very minimal and soft structured carriers that pack down to about the size of a bag of sugar and obviously weigh a lot less.

My youngest is now 2 years 5 months and we haven't used the buggy for ages! The only time we'd use it now is on a full day out with lots of walking, eg a zoo. Then he can nap/rest if needed. I think a double buggy would be a waste of money for the times you'd need it. A buggy board and some reins would be my choice.

Buy a cheap second hand one.

My DS was 2 years 5 months when DD was born. I had a second hand out and about Nipper which I used for about 4 months and then we had finished with it.

We had 3 under 5. Youngest now 26, so a while ago. We did use a sling with the first 2 when very small but the double buggy was absolute essential for us. I'm sure the technology has advanced greatly though. You have no idea just how useful one can be, not just for carrying living cargo.

By the way little ones are slow walkers, very slow walkers when they aren't running around. They also tire quickly and that will last way past the toddler stage.

Depending on your lifestyle of course. We have never had a car ( live in a city on a major bus route.) Ours was a one behind the other with a good amount of storage available underneath. Obviously now we'd have groceries delivered but loved taking ours to car boot sales.

We also had a choice of 4-5 baby feeding/changing rooms in town, use to love them. 8-9 mums, sitting around feeding and chatting. Most seem to have gone now. Is it not a thing anymore? In the early 1990's we had rooms in Boots, John Lewis, M&S and BHS, plus a few others.

My DC are 19 months apart. I already had a good single pushchair a that parent faced and could lay flat. I used that and a buggy board for occasional town visits.

I bought a second hand Phil and Ted's which was worth it's weight in gold. Both DC are good walkers, so often there would only be 1 in it, but it's invaluable on days out . You can put all the stuff in it, changing bag, coats, picnic etc and still get a child in the front.

Do you use reins? I did quite a bit, although DS never really tried to do a runner I found them easier than hand holding (esp when heavily pregnant) and he preferred it too.

I still have the Phil and Ted's, they're 3 and 5 now, and I keep it for days out, so I'm not holding hands and carrying bags. I am single though.

Oh and I briefly had a side by side double, also second hand. It was awful. Too wide, barely fit in the car, no storage.